In many applications, it is desirable to convert between electrical energy and mechanical energy. Exemplary applications requiring translation from electrical to mechanical energy include robotics, pumps, speakers, general automation, disk drives and prosthetic devices. These applications include one or more actuators that convert electrical energy into mechanical work—on a macroscopic or microscopic level. Common electric actuator technologies, such as electromagnetic motors and solenoids, are not suitable for many of these applications, e.g., when the required device size is small (e.g., micro or mesoscale machines).
Further, proposed tasks for future robotic systems, ranging from space exploration to medical devices, will require robotic devices and components that are simple, robust, lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to control. Hyper-redundant binary systems have been proposed to meet this need. It has been shown that performance of a binary robotic system approaches that of a continuous system, as the number of degrees of freedom (DOF) increases. However, high DOF systems are not feasible with conventional components. A major limitation is the actuator technology. Thus, there is still a need for alternate actuator devices to convert between electrical and mechanical energy.